US5622892A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of making a self cooling electrically programmable fuse
Assignee: GlobalFoundries Inc
•
Filing: 1995-03-17
•
Granted: 1997-04-22
•
Expires: 2015-03-17
Abstract
Abstract A method of fabricating an electrically programmable fuse buried under quartz and layers of polyimide with a specific structure to enhance its "thermal" capabilities. The fuse is designed to "blow" and cool off quickly so as not to cause damage to areas above and surrounding the fuse. A passivation layer is added above the fuse to act as a heat sink and absorb and redistribute the heat generated from one localized area to a broader and cooler area. The materials used for the fuse and the heat sink are selected to be compatible with both oxide and polyimide personalization schemes. Modeling of the fuse enables optimizing the characteristics of the fuse, particularly to transmit to the surface of the passivation layer the thermal wave created during programming of the fuse.
Inventors
- 👤 Raschid J. Bezama
- 👤 Dominic J. Schepis
- 👤 Krishna Seshan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 01:17
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/40; H10W20/49; H10W20/493; H10W40/00; H10W40/20; H10W40/22; H10W40/226; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/914; Y10S438/922
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
A method of making a buried semiconductor fuse structure in an integrated circuit comprising: forming a first insulating layer on a substrate having conductive lines formed thereon; forming a fuse link comprising a narrow strip having a conductive pad attached at each end, said fuse link connecting at least two of said conductive lines, said fuse link programmed to blow; forming at least one second insulating layer on said conductive lines and said fuse link; forming a thermally conductive layer on said second insulating layer and completely covering said fuse link, said thermally conductive layer dissipating heat developed during programming of said fuse link; and providing at least one third insulating layer formed on said thermally conductive layer, wherein said thermally conductive layer shields said conductive lines and said third insulating layer from excessive thermal energy generated during the programming of said fuse link.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
144 words
A method of making a buried semiconductor fuse structure in an integrated circuit comprising: forming a first insulating layer on a substrate having conductive lines formed thereon; forming a fuse link comprising a narrow strip having a conductive pad attached at each end, said fuse link connecting at least two of said conductive lines, said fuse link programmed to blow; forming at least one second insulating layer on said conductive lines and said fuse link; forming a thermally conductive layer on said second insulating layer and completely covering said fuse link, said thermally conductive layer dissipating heat developed during programming of said fuse link; and providing at least one third insulating layer formed on said thermally conductive layer, wherein said thermally conductive layer shields said conductive lines and said third insulating layer from excessive thermal energy generated during the programming of said fuse link.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of making a buried semiconductor fuse as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of forming said thermally conductive layer further comprises having said layer overlap said narrow strip and said conductive pads.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of making a buried semiconductor fuse as recited in claim 1, wherein said thermally conductive layer is selected from a group consisting of Cu, Al, W, Si, polysilicon, and other thermally conductive materials that can be deposited as a thin-film.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
110 words
The method of making a buried semiconductor fuse as recited in claim 1, wherein an effective thermal conduction to thickness ratio of said second insulating layer on top of the fuse link is K.sub.HS K.sub.eff ox ·H.sub.HS /L.sub.F ·H.sub.OX L.sub.F >2 wherein H HS =the thickness of said thermally conductive layer, H OX =the thickness of said at least second insulating layer and said at least said third insulating layer, L F =the length of said fuse link, K HS =the thermal conductivity of said thermally conductive layer, and K eff ox =the effective thermal conductivity of said at least second insulating layer and said at least third insulating layer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of making a buried semiconductor fuse as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one third insulating layer is polyimide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of making a buried semiconductor fuse as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one third insulating layer further comprises at least one polyimide layer and at least one wiring layer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of making a buried semiconductor fuse as recited in claim 1, wherein said second layer has a thermal conductivity lower than 10 w/mk.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of making a buried semiconductor fuse as recited in claim 1, said third insulating layer further comprises at lest one polyimide layer and at least one wiring layer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of making a buried semiconductor fuse as recited in claim 8, wherein the steps of forming the thermally conductive layer and of providing the at least one wiring layer are performed simultaneously.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of making a buried semiconductor fuse as recited in claim 7, wherein the at least one third insulating layer formed on top of the thermally conductive layer reaches a maximum temperature that remains below 200° C. during programming.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of making a buried semiconductor fuse structure in an integrated circuit comprising: forming a first insulating layer on a substrate having conductive lines formed thereon; forming a fuse link comprising a narrow strip having a conductive pad attached at each end connecting at least two of said conductive lines, said fuse link programmed to blow; forming a thin SiO 2 layer on said conductive lines and said fuse link; forming a thermally conductive layer on said SiO 2 layer on said second insulating layer and completely covering said fuse link, said thermally conductive layer dissipating heat developed during programming of said fuse link; and providing at least one third insulating layer formed on said thermally conductive layer, wherein said thermally conductive layer shields said conductive lines and said third insulating layer from excessive thermal energy generated during the programming of said fuse link.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of making a buried semiconductor fuse structure in an integrated circuit comprising: forming a first insulating layer on a substrate having conductive lines formed thereon; forming a fuse link comprising a narrow strip having a conductive pad attached at each end connecting at least two of said conductive lines, said fuse link programmed to blow; forming a thin SiO 2 layer on said conductive lines and said fuse link; forming a thermally conductive layer on said SiO 2 layer on said second insulating layer and completely covering said fuse link, said thermally conductive layer dissipating heat developed during programming of said fuse link; and providing at least one third insulating layer formed on said thermally conductive layer, wherein said thermally conductive layer shields said conductive lines and said third insulating layer from excessive thermal energy generated during the programming of said fuse link.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3792319A
Cited
JPS54105988A
Cited
JPS6084838A
Cited
US4796075A
Cited
JPS61110447A
Cited
JPS6237944A
Cited
JPS63278250A
Cited
JPS6477141A
Cited
US5252844A
Cited
JPH02140999A
Cited
GB2237446A
Cited
US5256899A
Cited
US5244836A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-04-21 | 2000-10-21 | 2001-04-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-04-21 | 2004-10-21 | 2005-04-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-04-21 | 2008-10-21 | 2009-04-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |